Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has asserted that use of Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is not allowed under the Aadhaar Act.
In a statement, the use of or access to Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is not permissible under Section 29 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016. The “very limited” exception to this, said UIDAI, is allowed under Section 33 of the Aadhaar Act, which permits use of or access to Aadhaar biometric data in cases involving national security only after pre-authorisation by an oversight committee headed by the cabinet secretary. This is also the consistent stand taken by Union of India in the ongoing Aadhaar case in the Supreme Court
The statement comes after National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) made a case for limited Aadhaar data access to the police to crack crimes, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on June 22 asserted that use of Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is not allowed under the Aadhaar Act. It also informed that Aadhaar data has never been shared with any crime investigating agency.